Thomas Knyvet, 1st Baron Knyvet

on Christmas Eve 1603 he brought to Hampton Court some chests of jewels which he had kept at Westminster Palace on the instructions of Queen Elizabeth.

After discussion with Sir George Home, Roger Aston, and the Earl of Nottingham, some jewels were sent to the goldsmiths John Spilman and William Herrick for valuation, with an ivory coffer, and a "great rich glass set with diamonds rubies emeralds and pearls, made in the form of a woman upon a pillar or case holding a clock with diverse motions" brought from the Tower of London.

Knyvett also took some of the old queen's jewels to Peter Vanlore to exchange for a new piece with a large table ruby and two great lozenge diamonds.

On the evening of 26 October 1605, the Catholic Lord Monteagle received an anonymous letter warning him to stay away from Parliament during the opening, and to "retyre youre self into yowre contee whence yow maye expect the event in safti for ... they shall receyve a terrible blowe this parleament".

The King ordered Knyvet to conduct a search of the cellars underneath Parliament, which he carried out with Edmund Doubleday in the early hours of 5 November.

[13] Knyvet occupied as his London townhouse the first house known on the site of 10 Downing Street, the modern-day residence of the British Prime Minister, in a large timber and brick building with an L-shaped garden.

[7] The house was described by the parliamentary commissioners in 1650 as: Knyvett built new lodgings for the women of Princess Mary's household in 1605, and he supervised improvements to St James's Park.